Govt not addressing Muslim grievances

Govt not addressing Muslim grievances

Thailand has failed to address the real grievances of Muslims in its insurgency-wracked south and the situation has gone "too far in the wrong direction," a former Thai foreign minister said in remarks published on Sunday.

Several factors including abuse of power by authorities, the violation of human rights and poverty have fueled the separatist violence in southern Thailand, claiming more than 860 lives since early 2004, former minister Surin Pitsuwan was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times.

"A lot of candies and goodies are being handed out after the situation has gone wrong. (But) their real grievances are still not being addressed. Violence is still raging. Insecurity is still a fact of life for all sides," said Surin, a Muslim.

The insurgency was limited in the 1980s to a small group of people who aspired for autonomy, he said, but now, "there is a growing sense of alienation from the mainstream, coupled with the marginalization in all areas -- social, political and economic and cultural."

The newspaper didn't say where or when Surin was interviewed.

"The situation has gone too far in the wrong direction in the past four or five years. To expect it to return to normal in a short period of time is unrealistic," he said.

Surin was foreign minister in the opposition Democrat Party government that lost power to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai Party in the 2001 elections. Thaksin won a second term in February this year.

Many critics have blamed the arrogance and insensitivity of Thaksin's government for the deterioration in the south. Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Thailand, and most live in the three southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, bordering Malaysia.

It is still not too late to turn the tide, Surin said, suggesting that decentralization and distribution of power to the south would be politically safe for Thaksin, while helping to resolve the problem.

He said a step in the right direction was the setting up of the National Reconciliation Commission, headed by respected statesman Anand Panyarachun.

"We are trying to find a proper balance between the demand of the state and the legitimate expectations of the Muslims in the south within the framework of the constitution. It will take time," Surin said. -- AP